#maer

MAER ► Sister (official music video)

Hey AJ, 

I’d love to talk about my relationship with Syn. As you said, there’s not much preserved about her in the historical record, so almost everything about her is from folk traditions of modern practitioners. I’ll share my personal experience with her but keep in mind that deity relationships are personal and unique. Someone else might have a very different experience and that’s valid too. 

I met Syn at a time when I was researching the witchmothers, also called the Maer or the Handmaidens of Frigg. And there she was. In all her glory (I perceive her as a large woman, think  Gwendoline Christie ). From the canon myths, she’s the sentry to Frigg’s hall and she denies entry to those who aren’t welcome. Her name means “refusal” according to mythological studies so that fits. 

Upon getting to know her, she introduced herself as a deity of boundaries and of justice. Her role in Frigg’s hall is literally to enforce boundaries that are both physical and metaphorical and she said that she is always willing to help people become better at both. She’s definitely a force to be reckoned with but her presence in my life has been so empowering. This brings me to something I didn’t expect in her character- she introduced herself as a goddess of justice and at first I was confused because she wasn’t like Tyr or Thor. What she shared with me is that those fighting for their rights are fighting tooth and nail to hold boundaries with their oppressors. She described herself almost like a matron of anyone standing their ground against oppression. 

Upon looking further into her associations, I couldn’t help but notice that her name has a second meaning in Old Norse - referring to vision and sight. How interesting that a diety that claims to preside over justice has a name that means both “refusal” and “sight.” Rather than a deity represented by blind justice, Syn presents herself to me as a deity of all-seeing justice. A justice that sees all of the flaws in the system, all of the inequalities, all of the intentions, all of the circumstances, and the hearts of those seeking her favor. 

I work with her when I need strength to hold my ground, when I need to defend my home, banishing things from my space that I have sovereignty over, and over finding sovereignty in myself. I value the way that she so freely shares her support, her strength, and her wisdom. 

I’m so glad you asked about this. I really enjoy talking about Syn. 

💙 Fynn

This is my first Maer book, but the writing gave me enough to find my footing without being overwhelmed. I was delighted to figure out that the Maer are fluffy! Body hair and beards for all! In addition to sounding deeply cuddleable, these Maer are both sexy and kinky.

An early scene where main character Cloti engages with her fear and frustration at the forces occupying her city by channeling them into a ravishment fantasy (with her as the ravisher) made me sit bolt upright with intense (and horny) interest. Kink also permeates many of Cloti's interactions with her spouses Aefin and Ludo, and their love interest, non-Maer civil administrator Feddar. 

The spousal group interacts with a sense of intimate partners who know each others’ tastes and aren't shy about applying that knowledge. They also all approach Feddar at different paces and through different lenses influenced not just by personality but their respective recent experience with the occupying administration Feddar works within, which makes sense and adds good tension. 

I felt uncomfortably at home in the locked down city of the protagonists. The worldbuilding and its consideration of resource availability and scarcity both made sense and added clarifying tension to scenes and arcs. And as someone who clung to the vestiges of my mental health during pandemic lockdown through heavy indulgence in kinky sex and cannabis, I found the central triad's lockdown conduct DEEPLY relatable. 

Sacred use of intoxicants and the sacredness of sex are also favorite themes of mine, and I loved how the importance and radical power of those deeply affirming joys was presented in these characters (while acknowledging that when things suck, our sources of pleasure can become both strengths and vulnerabilities)